‘The X Factor’ recap: Carly Rose Sonenclar best of final 6

At times, it seems “The X Factor” is moving at breakneck speed, with performers dropping like flies in one double-elimination round after another.

And then you see performances like CeCe Frey’s on Wednesday night and think perhaps the show isn’t moving quickly enough.

Down to just six acts, it was time to double up on performances, with each act tackling two songs. It was a weird night, with judges snarking and stealing microphones and Simon Cowell more than once threatening to send a mouthy Demi Lovato to “the naughty chair.” Perhaps the judges need a break just as much as the singers do.

First up were the acoustic jams.

CeCe Frey, “Edge of Glory”: She’s been skirting the edge of Gaga all season, so it was no surprise to see a performer as outre as Frey finally tackle a Gaga song. “In the past, I’ve had the dancers, the big flashing lights, everything else to kind of mask my vocals,” Frey said, and boy did they ever need to be masked. Frey sat motionless on a piano as she sleepily (and occasionally tunelessly) sapped the song dry. The thing is, when you strip Gaga of the meat dresses and the spiked nun habits, you’re left with a powerful voice and an accomplished piano player. When you strip Frey of the leopard spots, you’re just left with this.

Emblem3, “Just the Way You Are”: You can’t exactly burst into lunkheaded So-Cal surfer rap in an acoustic set, so the three brotastic kids from Huntington Beach were forced to actually sing their way through an entire song. And it was the best they’ve sounded yet. Sure, the blond dude was still dopey, singing as if he’d just gotten back from the dentist with a mouthful of Novocain, but even that’s a big improvement over what they’ve been doing. Demi, though, wasn’t feeling it. “I used to really, really love you guys,” she said. “I feel like it’s a downgraded version of the Jonas Brothers five years ago.”

Cary Rose Sonenclar, “As Long as You Love Me”: Sonenclar thought she got a dud of a song when mentor Britney Spears assigned her this Bieber single; you could all but see her stifling an eyeroll. She’s a balladeer! She rocked Celine Dion and Adele! Why were they wasting her time on acoustic Bieber? But it turned out to be a brilliant song choice. She started slow, the drum pounding at intervals like a heartbeat until she broke her bluesy take wide open. We knew Sonenclar had the pipes; now we know she has the commercial viability.

Fifth Harmony, “Set Fire to the Rain”: Probably not the smartest move to sing an Adele song the week after Sonenclar sang one and invite comparisons, but they may as well get used to having their butts handed to them by a 13-year-old. The five girls sat, dressed in drab gray, one indistinguishable from the other, singing a snoozy version of a hit song – which just about sums up the impression they’ve made throughout this competition.

Diamond White, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”: Maybe it’s a sign of desperation that White dug out this audition-round stunner for a second spin on the dance floor, but after weeks of disappointment, she’s finally made a case for her survival. She’s so much better at projecting this sort of soul and swagger than she is at playing the pop star. She ended the song by knocking over the mike stand – a fitting farewell, because she killed it.

Tate Stevens, “Livin’ on a Prayer”: Stevens double-dipped into the Bon Jovi well and came out with this boring, ineffectually stripped-down performance, taking everything that’s fun about this enduring karaoke jam and crushing it under the heel of his toe-tappin’ cowboy boot. Or, as Simon Cowell put it, “You doing that song tonight on unplugged week is like taking a goldfish for a walk. In other words, you don’t.”

Then it was onto the Pepsi Challenge, with the six remaining acts performing songs chosen by the fans in costumes chosen by the fans on sets chosen by the fans ... you get it. But it’s not the fans who’ll get voted off when a performer fails to deliver. So who embarrassed themselves the most?

CeCe Frey, “Part of Me”: What’s that term again for when a pair of high-waisted denim cut-offs with leopard-print patches meets one of Katy Perry’s least-fun songs meets pitchy warbling? Oh yeah: hot mess. Oh well, at least her thighs looked great in those shorts.

Emblem3, “Forever Young”: More straight singing, but to less charming effect than the last time. One begins to suspect all the goofy rapping is meant to mask certain vocal insufficiencies. Not that it matters a bit: the shrieking girls have spoken.

Carly Rose Sonenclar, “If I Were a Boy”: Of course she was good. If that first performance didn’t clinch her spot at No. 1, her flawless vocals on this difficult Beyonce song certainly did, however confused Simon was when he cautioned, “Slightly odd lyric for you to be singing.” Way to listen to the lyrics.

Fifth Harmony, “Give Your Heart a Break”: Apparently America serves as a better mentor than Simon Cowell, because we voted for Fifth Harmony to finally have some fun. Dressed in bright colors, the peppy girls put on their best performance to date in a cutesy, pre-teen version of the Lovato song. This is who they should have been all along – but at this point in the competition, is it enough?

Diamond White, “Diamonds”: Of course that’s the song we chose. And of course she descended in a shining diamond-shaped cage, singing into a diamond-studded microphone. Real cute, America. Gone was the confident swagger White had earlier in this screechy, timid performance from someone who suddenly felt every bit the little girl she is.

Tate Stevens, “If Tomorrow Never Comes”: “Welcome back Tate Stevens to the competition,” Simon said, and it was true. The country star found his footing again with a Garth Brooks classic. Sweet, clean and exactly the right palate cleanser for that Bon Jovi nonsense, and a reminder of where Stevens’ considerable talents lay. But is being super awesome at country (and nothing else) enough to dethrone the little girl who’s owned everything from Celine Dion to Justin Bieber? Whatever the X factor is, only one of them seems to have it.

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